North America / Jersey Commonwealth (Judal Castle): November 7th, 1517.
(Joseph Burlington)
"King james is dead your majesty. I believe this is our chance." Said a average light skin man with long kneck length dark brown hair, dark brown eyes and a slim muscular 5'11 in height body.
The study was silent. All men at the long table looking at a handsome man with a diamond shaped bearded face, a bald head, grey eyes and a ripped, extremely hairy and muscular body in a luxerious mixture of arab, english attire.
Joseph's face was unreadable as he stared at down at the table and said nonchalantly "This is not our chance. My spies have not reported back Insider Information on the current situation of the kingdom."
The study was silent. The faces of the nobles tense.
"What do you think is the cause of this your majesty. We use to get reports almost every second to minute of the day." Asked a skinny Intelligent looking average man with gritted teeth and clenched fists.
Joseph was silent and glanced up at all the men at the table and said calmly "If james married into the grand duchy of queens and my spies stopped reporting back to me after the be queen mother started managing the kingdoms affairs. Morgan le fay de' queen is the problem."
"How utterly preposterous. A woman ruling a entire kingdom, the jersey commonwealth will never allow such things to get to that desperate." Said a overweight, luxerious dressed man while twirling his mustache with a scoff.
The skinny man's eyebrows creased and said while interlocking his hands atop the table "It is best that we do not underestimate what we do not yet understand. Their culture is vastly different from ours."
"Yet. Both have one thing in common. Wife's aren't meant to rule." Said the overweight man with a scornful look on his face as he glanced at joseph that was silent.
"Yorkania's culture" Thought joseph while rubbing his bearded chin.
Joseph met eyes with the overweight man an said calmly "I agree with margrave sussex that you mind your words duke ocean. It is not the right time nor the moment to gain more ego than you already possess."
"Humph…" Said the overweight man as he looked away and continued to stroke his long mustache.
Margrave sussex stared at duke ocean for a moment and looked back at joseph and said with a serious look on his face "Your majesty, if I may be Impertinent, was the death of king james your hand."
The study was silent. The atmosphere tense.
"No. I had no hand in this which is why we will not take any action until my Information is up to date. Get my spies back on their feet and strengthen our defenses." Said joseph calmly as he Interlocked both of his hands atop the table. His eyes cold and lifeless.
"YES YOUR MAJESTY." Said all the nobles at the table in sync with serious looks on their faces.
(Morgan's POV)
"Your majesty. I believe we should Invest the gained wealth Into strengthening our border defenses. This could help the military in the long term." Said a very old and wrinkly man calmly while stroking his long beard with his right hand as he adjusted the small glasses at the tip of his nose as he glanced at a very beautiful woman at the head of the long table in a regal black-and-white, jewel-encrusted royal gown with fur accents and a spiked crown, embodying cold elegance and absolute authority atop her head.
"Do not say anything. Do not speak" I thought as I glanced at the left side of the long table.
A young man leaned forward slightly with his right hand rested on on paperwork and said with a serious look on his face as he tapped the table lightly to make his argument "Lord vanderbilt, we shouldn't be discussing about fortifying defenses when this kingdom needs the muscle to do that. Everything comes back to food."
"Morgan. You better stay silent and not say anything. Let them voice their concerns so that they can more to you in the future and view you as a person that listens" I thought with a resting bitch face as I glanced back at the right side of the long table.
"Absolutely preposterous. How can we have enough for food supply when we only have a little 100 million dollars in the treasury from selling baron smith and marquis cragface to the duke of brooklyn. I say we use this 100 million wisely and think of food supply later." Said a midget like middle aged man with a serious look on his face.
"Morgan. Stay absolutely silent" I thought as I glanced at perceval who was smiling at me an suddenly the memory of our conversation we had earlier in my chambers flashing through my mind.
(FLASHBACK: Hours ago)
"Your majesty if I may overstep my station to ask you a question." Said a beautiful bronze skin woman calmly with a russian accent as she brushed my hair.
The chamber was silent.
I closed the book in my hands and looked up and Into the mirror at a beautiful bronze skin woman with a heart shaped face, dark brown eyes, dark brown afro styled hair, and 4'11 in height with a hourglass shaped figure and said calmly with closed eyes "You may. Anna"
"Is it lonely to be queen mother. I mean I know how suffocating it must have been to live as a dukes daughter but being queen mother must be a lonely life. Have you ever cried." Asked anna calmly as she leaned forward slightly an sat the brush down on my makeup desk and grabbed a black and white crown resembling the statue of liberty crown and sat it atop my head while adjusting it slightly.
"Have I ever cried" I thought as I looked away from the occupied anna and straight at myself in the mirror and stared.
I looked back at anna through the mirr and said calmly "No I have never cried before. I see no need to."
"I have cried before. Everyone dosewhen the body is suppressing to many emotions and the brain doesn't know how to release it. but everyone's brain is wired differently" I thought as memories of solitary from queens flashed across my mind of my new mother and father pouring all of their attention to the eldest son and only worrying about how the daughters marriage would benefit the duchy.
*Knock* *Knock*
Anna stopped tidying the crown atop my head and said calmly with a curtsy "All finished your majesty. May I be excused."
"You may. Thank you anna." I said calmly with a wave of my left hand as I looked back in the mirror and adjusted the crown slightly.
Anna's eyes widened subtly and slightly and and calmly with a sudden smile appearing on her face "Your welcome your majesty. If you ever want to have a normal conversation you can call for me. I am your chambermaid and can become a friend. I speak not of duty but from the heart."
"Ah. Yes, thank you. I will consider it" I said calmly while closing my eyes. Memories of my previous life flashing through my mind of my parents getting murderd in front of me at the young age of just 8 years old and sent to an abusive orphanage because of being a financial burden to family that didn't want anything to do with me.
Anna curtsied again and made her way over to the door and opened it and walked past perceval that nodded at her and entered the chamber with a knock.
*Knock* *Knock*
"Come in chancellor wood pecker. What can I do for you." I said calmly while fixing both of my earrings that by 21st century standards would be extremely valuable.
The chamber was silent. Perceval's face slightly twitching.
Perceval came into the chamber, closing the door behind himself while adjusting his throat and said with a sigh "Your majesty. We need to talk."
"About. If it's related to matters of this shithole it'll have to wait until the council meeting." I said calmly while glancing at the serious look on perceval's face through the mirror.
Perceval sighed while rubbing his face with both of his hands and said "Your majesty. I don't know how to address this in a more professional way but it is not about the yorkania. It is about you."
The chamber was silent. I turned and looked back at perceval and said calmly while getting up from my seat "Cup of tea."
"No thank you." Said perceval calmly with his eyes closed as he opened them and watched me pour myself a cup of tea.
I sat the tea pot back down and asked calmly while glancing at perceval "What is the Issue."
"Your majesty while I do highly commend the way your so headstrong and sharp tongued an even in fact highly respect and admire that about you. I have never met a woman like you in my entire life and if I was younger I would try to pursue if I wasn't already married but ruling a kingdom is not always domination. It is about knowing both sides to a coin. Failure and hard work. Do you understand." Said perceval calmly with a serious look on his face showed years of experience.
I was silent momentarily while blinking a few times and said calmly "So you want me to fold over and twiddle my thumbs in front of the very Incompetent opinions that made it the way it is now. I understand both sides of the coin, percival. I simply choose which side the kingdom lands on."
"Your majesty… I do not ask you to change. I simply ask only that you listen because even the sharpest blade dulls when it refuses to meet resistance." Said perceval calmly with a bow as he took his leave.
*Boom*
The chamber was silent. My eyes staring down ar the tea cup in my hand as memories of my average swordsmanship talent flashed though my mind and thought while taking a sip from it "You speak of dull blades but that is only the perspective of a man's point of view on this topic. Women have to extert strength more to be heard in any century"
(Present)
"Silence." I said calmly while leaning forward and Interlocking my fingers into the desk as the study went silent Immediately.
I looked around at the five men on each side of the table and said calmly "We will not choose between food, military, or dollar… because only fools divide what must be controlled together…Is what most thought I would say."
The chamber was silent. The atmosphere tense.
"Then what will you do your majesty." Asked the the young man with a serious, creased eyebrow look on his face.
I stood up from my seat. The members of the council standing up to and said calmly "What else do you think. I'm the one that managed the money of yorkania since I became queen mother. I will use a little of it and use it for the food supply and save some of it while using some to Invest to Increase the wealth of the treasury. Food equals muscle and loyalty from the commoners. Dismissed."
The council members bowed and started taking their leave except for perrceval who bowed and said calmly with closed eyes and smile "Your majesty. You have my allegiance."
Completely unaware of the the shadow that left from the slightly cracked door.
…
THE END…